(840.7) In Vitro Evaluation Of The Antimicrobial Activity Of Monolaurin Against Borrelia burgdorferi, The Lyme Disease Spirochete

Poster Board Number: B113

Shubhang Bhalla (Paul L. Foster School of Medicine), Benjamin Trinh (Paul L. Foster School of Medicine), Jose Barragan (Paul L. Foster School of Medicine), Jorge Cervantes (Paul L. Foster School of Medicine)

In this study, we evaluated the antimicrobial activity of monolaurin against Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease spirochete.

B. burgdorferi possesses adaptive mechanisms that allow it to evade retrieval by host immune response. Novel therapeutic modalities to address Lyme disease complications are widely being sought. Monolaurin, a glycerol monoester of lauric acid derived from coconut oil, has demonstrated a wide-range of antimicrobial activity through emulsification.

We hypothesize that monolaurin will reduce the viability of B. burgdorferi in a dose response manner.

B. burgdorferi strain B31 was cultured under serially diluted monolaurin conditions. Resazurin assay was utilized to assess bacterial viability and establish an approximate minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). A live-dead assay was conducted to evaluate monolaurin’s antimicrobial activity.

Results: We observed a MIC value of monolaurin against B. burgdorferi to reside between 75 µg/mL and 150 µg/mL. The live-dead assay narrowed the antimicrobial range from 75 µg/mL to 125 µg/mL. There was a trend of the proportion of dead spirochetes with increased monolaurin concentrations that was statistically significant (p-valuelt;0.0001, Two-way ANOVA). 

Our findings support the use of monolaurin as an antibacterial agent against B. burgdorferi. Further studies in vivo are required to establish its pharmacodynamics so it could become available as a treatment modality for Lyme disease.

Paul. L. Foster School of Medicine